We are students in Northwestern's Medill IMC [Integrated Marketing Communications] program in a Direct and Integrated Marketing course that teaches social marketing. As a part of our assignments, we need to better establish our professional personas and begin writing blogs on key topics which concern our future professional industries. You can also follow us on twitter using the hash tag #NUSocialIMC. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Within the last decade or so, the
idea of corporate responsibility and social good has become highly discussed
among the corporate world and even within the general public. As a result, non-profits
are growing larger and more impactful in the communities that they help. At the
same time that people in need are becoming more likely to receive services from
non-profits, people and especially big donors are becoming more willing to give
their money to good causes. Thus, as an outreach coordinator of a nonprofit,
your job is two-fold: you need to be able to reach people who use your services
and you need to be able to gain recognition and legitimacy in order to get
funding. Both of these ultimately allow you to maximize the social impact that
a non-profit can have. Much of this outreach will be done through social.

As a student at
Northwestern interested in the outreach of nonprofit organizations, here are
two articles that give interesting recommendations. “Twitter at Age 10: Why ItStill Matters in Nonprofit Communications” published by Prichard communications
speaks to the importance of Twitter specifically for non-profits. On the
services side of things, Twitter has become a first resort for many to get
their news and learn about new trends. Tweets are closely linked to Google and
will often show up in a Google search. Because of this, non-profits should use
Twitter in order to gather the attention of those who they provided services
for, publicizing their mission so people will see it when a trigger event
occurs. Twitter has also become a great tool for activists and other
revolutionaries in the world, making it a great tool for those who are looking
to donate their time and money to a good cause. By “Following” the people who
speak out about issues in the world, you will be able to publicize what your
non-profit does to those who are passionate about looking for solutions.

Another
article, “Social Media Matters: Smart Strategies for Nonprofits”, published in
Biz Journal, pushes the idea of “social messaging” to create a dialogue between
patrons, advocates, and donors. This way, both people accessing services and
donors will get a better understanding of the organization and feel more
personally attached to it. This increases their likelihood of using the
services or donating their money because they know that the organization is
creating good change. This article also highlights using social media tools to
increase visibility of an organization. Because there are so many non-profits
in the world, people may have to sift the missions of hundreds of organizations
before they get to yours. Increasing visibility can be done through increasing
the Google search function, using Youtube’s nonprofit program, creating a
function to donate on social media, or maximizing your posts on social media
platforms. This will ensure that the mission of your organization as well as
the impact that it has had will be easily accessible to those looking for it.

Based on these articles and
the changing landscape of social media, the three suggestions I have for you
are:

1. Increase visibility across all Social Media platforms

2. Keep up-to-date on your Social Media posting

3. Increase your Google search using keywords

By using social media in a
strategic way, you will maximize your reach and ultimately elevate the mission
and impact of your nonprofit.

Vicky Ho is a senior at
Northwestern studying Psychology, Science in Human Culture, and Integrated
Marketing & Communications. She is interested in non-profit and social
sector work and wants to combine that with her interest in and knowledge of
marketing and communications. She has had experience doing outreach work for student
organizations at Northwestern through her involvement with the Academy of Music and Arts for
Special Education and Sustained Dialogue. Connect with her on LinkedIn here